


Saving the Day

by Darkhymns



Category: The Death Gate Cycle - Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Gen, Mild Language, a crime fighting dog
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-22
Updated: 2015-10-22
Packaged: 2018-04-27 13:52:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5050957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkhymns/pseuds/Darkhymns
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haplo and his dog are off to stop a bank robbery. But there's someone missing...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Saving the Day

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this tumblr post.](http://hachi-mitsu-semi.tumblr.com/post/131551715768/likes-words-and-shrimp-hachi-mitsu-semi) I couldn't help it.

The robber was typical, really. Dark ski mask on, holding what Haplo knew was a pistol with the serial numbers filed off, jumping at every sound around him. He waved around his weapon at the cowering citizens on the floor, gripping his sack of overflowing cash and jewelry in his other hand. He was holding up the bank by himself, probably because most movies made it look easy enough. A small local bank, with its ceiling low, and its ATM's, placed in the right wall, out of order. No big-name corporation for this guy. Least he knew the importance of starting small.

Haplo stuck his gloved hands in his pockets and calmly walked towards him, his dog happily trotting after.

"I said get on the ground!" The robber was now aiming at his direction, blinking rapidly. It was more than just out of fear and adrenaline. During these vigilante nights, no one would be able to look at Haplo directly and remember just what the man looked like, only that someone had been there. It was why Haplo never wore any sort of costume or disguise like most other superheroes; he simply just didn't need to. It was one of the many useful powers in his arsenal.

Because of this, the robber started to shift attention to the dog, who didn't have the same power of forgetfulness. Not with its white eyebrows raised up like that.

"Go!" the robber shouted, shaking his gun at the animal. The dog's response was to sit down and give a great yawn.

Some of the people had raised up their heads. They couldn't see Haplo any better, but their eyes fixated on the black dog and its bushy tail, with some giving a gasp. "It's… him!" one person whispered. "It's the Man with the Dog!"

The dog then scratched at a furious itch just behind its ear.

Haplo wasn't paying much attention to any of this. Instead, he kept looking left and right, searching for someone. After a while, he frowned.

"What did I expect?" he muttered. With a long-suffering sigh, he took out his cell phone, gesturing to the dog with his other hand. "Dog, take care of this."

The animal barked in agreement.

The robber jumped again. He blinked at the shadow that started to move away to the side, blinked again at the dog that was walking towards him, tongue hanging from its mouth.

He made to kick at it. "Get back!"

The dog dodged, then clamped his teeth on the robber's leg.

Keeping his eyes on the scuffling, with the robber now hopping around and apparently forgetting how to use his gun, Haplo waited patiently as the phone rang. He was finally answered on the fourth ring.

"Hel-"

"Alfred, why aren't you here?"

"Um, well," came the weak voice over the line. He could so easily imagine the other wringing his hands that it was annoying. "I'm not sure if I- if I should…actually."

"You're not  _sure?"_  Haplo gritted his teeth. "Remember what I said to do when you're not sure of something?"

"Um… ask you?"

"That's right. So hurry up and fly over here."

"Okay…" Alfred sounded so despondent just then, but Haplo wasn't going to fall for that sad routine again. "I really don't know how I can help you."

"We'll just have to find out, won't we? Also stay on the line, so I know you won't bail on me again."

"But… I can't hold the phone that well if I'm transfo-"

" _Just make it work."_

Meanwhile, the dog had things under control. The robber shrieked as the animal darted all around him, already having wrenched the gun out of his hand. To make things end faster, Haplo gestured again to the dog. Red and blue patterns flashed in the air, highlighting against dark fur. In an instant, the dog had grown several feet, its head nearly reaching the top of the bank's roof, several feet taller than a horse.

"Woof!"

The robber started to cry. "What?!  _Why?!"_

"It… it sounds like you already have it taken care of." Alfred's voice got weaker, though whether it was due to poor reception, to the wind that was probably rushing past him in his flight, or because it was Alfred, Haplo couldn't pinpoint. It was probably a combination of all that and then some. "I'm not really needed…"

"I'll decide on that. You here yet?"

"Almost. Sorry about the trouble."

"Yeah, don't do that either."

"Sorry."

The phone suddenly cut off then before Haplo could rage at the useless apology. Groaning, he then put his full attention on the robber vs. dog battle. Going by the way the dog was shaking the robber by the scruff of his collar with sharp teeth latched on, it seemed safe to say that the dog was winning.

"Alright, boy. Put him down."

The dog did so, followed by a hard thump.

Haplo crossed his arms, staring down at the robber that was covered in dog slobber. "You ready to give up yet?"

Most people with common sense would at this point, but the robber was both desperate and really dizzy from the fight. He staggered to his feet, hand brushing against the gun that had been lucky enough to be near. Then with a sudden burst of quick reflexes, the robber rushed toward a shivering young man that had been kneeling on the floor. He grasped him by the arm, pulling him up and aiming the gun at his head.

"Get back or he's fucking dead!"

Haplo said nothing. Hostage situations were the most frustrating. He couldn't just command the dog to rush at him again. He'd take supervillains over jumpy criminals with innocent bystanders any day.

"Don't be stupid," he said, preparing to remove his gloves, a chant coming to mind. Then the ground rumbled.

Everyone, including Haplo, blinked at the seismic interruption. He instantly figured the source.  _Good timing, I guess._

"Let me through!" the robber was shouting again, trying to ignore the previous shaking. "I don't want any of your-"

And then a flower garden suddenly appeared at the robber's feet.

Haplo stared. There were tulips, roses, daisies and daffodils, all arranged beautifully on what was now a plot of fresh grass. The tiled floors were made of earth, the air filling with scents of pollen. "You're kidding me."

The robber (and his hostage) were now more confused then ever before. The robber worked his mouth a little before he spoke.

"What-" and then he collapsed on his face. His arm slipped from the hostage, his gun dropped from limp fingers. His snoring could be heard clearly through the wide hall.

The hostage rubbed his neck, staring and trying to make sense of what he was seeing. "Wow, that was close-" and then he collapsed too, falling asleep before he hit the ground.

All the other people in the bank were just as knocked out, all of them fast asleep.

Haplo turned to find Alfred standing behind him, still wearing his coat from yesterday, his fringe of white hair a little frazzled. "Sorry I'm late," he said.

Looking back at the sleepers, then to his partner in crime-fighting, Haplo questioned, "Why flowers?"

Alfred looked away in embarrassment. "I, um, panicked."

"Figured."

The dog barked again, its voice deep in its giant form. Alfred jumped, nearly falling on his back.

"Be quiet, boy," Haplo admonished gently, patting the dog at his side. He gazed around the now slumbering bank. "Well, suppose we're done here. At least you didn't let me totally down."

Apparently, that was enough to make Alfred smile with genuine happiness. "So I really helped?"

"Yeah, sure." Haplo stared at Alfred's get-up, a long-sleeved coat stitched with patches at the elbow, complete with a sweater vest that sported a certain college's insignia. "Though maybe wear something besides your professor outfit."

"Oh? I don't- I don't have much else though."

"Fine, we'll handle that later." The giant dog panted happily, its thick claws clicking against the floor, giving Alfred another minor shock. "Relax already."

"Trying to…"

In the distance, Haplo could hear police sirens. Silently annoyed that law enforcement  _finally_  decided to show up, he patted the dog again.

"Alright, we're gonna work on that fear of your's. Starting now." Gripping the dog's black fur, Haplo easily climbed onto the animal's back, ten times bigger than before. He patted the spot behind him. "Get on."

Alfred quickly made excuses. "I- is that necessary? I mean, I could still fly-"

Haplo narrowed his eyes.

"Coming," Alfred said meekly.

It was painful trying to watch the man climb up the dog's back, hands slipping through the fur as he scrambled to the top.  _You don't choose to fly now?_  He was about to say, but Alfred had finally made it aboard, his entire body shaking.

"You good?"

Alfred nodded wordlessly.

Haplo tapped the dog's head, who then ducked its head through the front glass doors. "We're gonna be jumping across the roofs, so don't faint or freak out."

"Do we really need to?" Alfred basically whined.

"Yes. Now hold on tight to some- No, not  _me!"_

But the dog was already leaping, back legs springing to propel it over the flat-roofed buildings to travel across the city. Eventually, Haplo gave up, allowing the cowardly academic to cling to his waist as they left the premises.

The next day in the papers, "The Man with the Dog Saves the Day," was once again the front cover story, along with a little interview with the hostage. It was the usual fare, except for the small, seemingly insignificant comment the hostage had mentioned, about seeing some older guy walking into the bank, and who had weirdly "looked a lot like one of my old physics professors…"


End file.
